Bed rail fastener



Filed July 8, 19525 12/ 5 IN VEN TOR. fler y Muichn 2170,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent BED RAIL FASTENER Henry Mutchnik, Baltimore, Md.

Application July 8, 1953, Serial No. 366,685

Claims. (Cl. 5-296) This invention relates to hardware used in the manufacture of furniture, and in particular a fastener for temporarily attaching an element, such as a bed rail, to a post or the like wherein a finger extended from a plate passes into a slot and engages a beveled surface whereby upon moving downwardly as a result of weight placed upon the element from which the finger extends the end surface of said element is drawn against the surface of the post or the like whereby the element is secured in position with a clamping action.

The purpose of this invention is to improve fasteners for connecting bed rails to posts of beds and the like by replacing the conventional pins mounted in the thin edges of the posts with a wedge-like member that provides a clamping action and that is secured in position with a pin extended through the center of the post.

In the conventional bed rail fastener a plate having a pair of hook-like tongues extended from one edge is mounted by screws or pins in a slot in the end of a bed rail and these tongues are placed over pins extended through a slot in a bed post whereby with sloping surfaces on the tongues the end of the bed'rail may be clamped against the surface of the post when load is placed upon the bed rail. With this construction it is necessary to locate the pins extended through the post close to the face or side from which the bed rail extends and the pins are adapted to be pulled out as the result of an unexpected load such as when the extended end of a bed rail is accidentally dropped. Furthermore, the material of the bed rail is comparatively thin and the screws for mounting the plate in the bed rail work loose and often split the wood of the rail.

With these thoughts in mind, this invention contemplates a bed rail having a slot extended inwardly from the end with an enlarged opening at the inner end of the slot and a bed post having a slot extended inwardly from one side with a U-shaped member having a sloping outer end secured in the slot of the bed post with a pin extended therethrough and with a plate having a hub on the inner edge and a hook-like tongue having a sloping inner surface positioned in the slot of the bed rail with the hub portion in the enlarged opening at the inner end of the slot.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means for attaching a bed rail to a bed post wherein it is substantially impossible for the fastening elements to work loose.

Another object of the invention is to provide fastening elements for securing a bed rail to a bed post in which the elements are adapted to be hidden in the material of the bed rail and post.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rigid connection between a bed rail and a bed post in which the connection and the fastening elements thereof are of simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention embodies a plate having split oppositely dis- 2,728,924 Patented Jan. 3, 1956 posed semi-circular sections on one edge with a tongue extended from the opposite edge and with an inclined slot extended upwardly under the tongue and a U-shaped socket having a sloping end surface positioned to coact with the tongue of the plate and having a pin extended through openings in the sides thereof for securing the socket in a slot of a post of a bed rail whereby with the plate having the split hub thereon positioned in a slot of a bed rail the hook-like tongue thereof extends into the socket in the slot of the bed post.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a connection between a bed rail and a bed post with parts of the rail and post brokenvaway illustrating a fastener with parts positioned in slots of the rail and post and also in which parts of the rail and post are shown in section.

Figure 2 is a cross section through the connection between the rail and post, said section being taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail showing the socket and its position in the slot in the bed post.

Figure 4 is a detail showing the plate having the tongue extended therefrom and which is mounted in the slot in the end of the bed rail.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts, the improved bed rail fastener of this invention includes a plate 10 having a hook-like tongue 11 extended from the upper end with a slot 12 extended inwardly below the tongue and with beveled surfaces 13 and 14 positioned on opposite sides of the slot, and the opposite edge of the plate 10 is provided with upper and lower semi-circular hub sections 15 and 16 and an intermediate hub section 17 which is positioned opposite to the sections 15 and 16. The hub sections, as illustrated in Figure 2, provide a cylinder and with the plate 10 positioned in a slot 18 and the hub sections in a cylindrical opening or bore 19, the section of the fastener will be rigidly held in a bed rail, as indicated by the numeral 20 without bolts, screws, or other devices that weaken the material of the rail. The fastener shown in Figure 4 is adapted to coact with a holding member 21, shown in Figure 3, in which an outer end or cross wall 22 slopes away from a surface 23 of a post 24 whereby with the socket secured in a slot 25 in the post with a pin 26 the tongue 11 may engage the inner surface of the end section 22, as shown in Figure 1, to positively lock the bed rail to the post.

The socket 21 is provided with side walls 26 and 27 in which openings 28 and 29 are provided and, as illustrated in Figure 2, the openings 28 and 29 are positioned to register with an opening 39 extended inwardly from one side of the post 24 and in which the pin 26 may be positioned. The bore 30 is provided with an opening 31, of a smaller diameter through which a pin may be inserted to remove the pin 26. The side wall 26 of the socket 21 is provided with depressions 32 and 33 and the depressions are positioned to coact with similar depressions 34 and 35 in the corners of the wall 27 to prevent the walls being forced together to close the socket.

With the parts formed in this manner one fastener element is inserted in a slot in the end of a bed rail and With the fastener secured in the openings in the end of the bed rail without screws, nails, or other fastening elements there is very little danger of the end of the bed rail splitting and with the pin 26 holding the socket 21 from a point substantially in the center of the post there is very little possibility of the pin pulling out through the side of the post. The parts are of rugged construction and the strain resulting from the weight of a person or persons on a bed is taken by the coacting elements whereby the joint tightens instead of loosening. Play developing in the connection is readily taken up and the life of the joint is indefinite.

It will be understood that modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made in the design and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed:

1. A bed rail fastener comprising a plate having a booklike tongue extended from one edge and having hub sections on the opposite edge said plate being adapted to be positioned in a slot extended inwardly from the end of a bed rail and positioned midway between side surfaces of the rail and said slot communicating with a cylindrical opening in the bed rail whereby with the plate in the slot the hub sections are adapted to be positioned and frictionally retained in the cylindrical opening and the tongue adapted to extend from the end of the rail, a U-shaped socket having an inclined end wall adapted to be mounted in a slot in the side of a post with the inclined end wall positioned to receive the tongue of the plate, means for preventing the sides of the socket being pressed together to prevent the tongue entering the socket, and means for retaining the socket in the post.

2. A bed rail fastener comprising a plate having a hook-like tongue extended from one edge and split oppositely positioned hub sections on the opposite edge said plate being adapted to be positioned in a slot extended inwardly from the end of a bed rail and positioned midway between side surfaces of the rail and said slot communicating with a cylindrical opening in the. bed rail whereby with the plate in the slot the hub sections are adapted to be positioned and frictionally retained in the cylindrical opening and the tongue adapted to extend from the end of the rail, a U-shaped socket having side walls and an inclined end wall adapted to be positioned in a slot in the side of a bed post, said side walls of the socket having depressions at the inner corners for preventing the side walls being pressed together to prevent the tongue of the plate entering the socket and a pin extended into the bed post and also into said socket for retaining the socket in position in the post.

3. A bed rail fastener comprising a plate having a hook-like tongue extended from one edge and having oppositely disposed hub sections extended from the opposite edge, said tongue having an inclined undersurface and said plate adapted to be inserted in a slot in the end of a bed rail with the hub sections positioned in a cylindrical opening at the inner edge of the slot, a U-shaped socket having side walls connected at one end with an inclined end wall and having pin receiving openings through the opposite end, said socket adapted to be positioned in a slot in a bed post, and a pin extended into the post and adapted to be extended into the openings of the side walls of the socket.

4. In a bed rail fastener, the combination which comprises a bed post having a slot extended inwardly from one side and having a transversely disposed opening therethrough, av U-shaped socket having side walls connected at one end with an inclined end wall and having openings through the opposite ends of the side walls, and a plate having a tongue with an inclined undersurface ex tended from one edge and having split oppositely disposed semi-circular hub sections extended from the opposite edge, and a bed rail having a slot with an enlarged section at the inner edge thereof positioned against the surface of the post with the plate in the slot of the bed rail and with the tongue extended into the slot of the post and positioned in engagement with the inclined end wall of the socket, said socket being retained in position in the post with a pin extended through the openingofi the post and openings of the side walls of the socket.

5. In a bed rail fastener, the combination which comprises a bed post having a slot extended inwardly from one surface and having a transversely disposed opening extended through said slot, a socket having side walls connected at one end with an inclined end wall and having openings in the opposite ends positioned to register with the transverse opening through the post, a pin extended through the transverse opening of the post and into the openings in the side walls of the socket, a bed rail having a slot extended inwardly from one end and having an enlarged bore at the inner end of the slot, and a plate having a hook-like tongue extended from one edge and positioned to extend into the slot of the bed post with the tongue in engagement with the inclined end wall of the socket, said plate having split hub-like sections on the edge opposite to that from which the tongue extends and positioned in the slot of the bed rail with said hub-like sections in the enlarged opening at the inner edge thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 125,801 Finley Apr. 16, 1872 159,408 Grillet Feb. 2, 1875 529,486 Foster Nov. 20, 1894 588,442 Keeler Aug. 17, 1897 l,156,059 Comee Oct. 12, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS 338,049 Great Britain Nov. 13, 1930 

